Leaders in Energy Holiday Happy Hour on "Four Generations: Leadership in Energy and Sustainability"

Come join us at our Leaders in Energy Holiday Happy Hour on December 5th from 6-9 pm at The Bier Baron Tavern in Washington DC (near Dupont Circle) where we will feature four speakers who represent exemplary leadership in the energy and sustainability arena from each generation including World War II, Baby Boomer, Gen X, and Millennial.  Our four speakers are: 

Dr. Brent Blackwelder Dr. Josh Silverman Ms. Elenor Hodges Mr. Logan Soya

Please help us in planning this event by registering below if you plan to attend. 

Brent Blackwelder

(World War II Generation)

 

Brent Blackwelder is the past President of Friends of the Earth, Chair of the League of Conservation Voters, and the Founding Chair of American Rivers.  He is nationally recognized for his contributions to protect water resources such as rivers and to reform economic drivers that harm the planet.  He has testified before Congress more than 100 times.  He helped launch the campaign to encourage the World Bank to pay more attention to the environment and establish the Green Scissors program, which reveals wasteful and environmentally harmful spending in the U.S. federal budget.   He is currently on the Board for the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy.  As a leader in the effort to protect rivers, Dr. Blackwelder helped expand the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System from eight rivers in 1973 to over 160 today.  Dr. Blackwelder was named Outstanding Alumnus of the University of Maryland in 2001 and Vanity Fair Magazine named him "Steward of the Planet" in 2004.   Brent Blackwelder graduated summa cum laude from Duke University and received an M.A. in mathematics from Yale, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Maryland.   

 

 Josh Silverman 

 (Baby Boomer Generation)

 

Josh Silverman directs the Office of Sustainability Support at the US Department of Energy (DOE) in the areas of sustainable buildings, toxic chemical reduction, electronics stewardship, greenhouse gas reduction, green purchasing, and environmental management systems.    Dr. Silverman identified large gaps in air pollution controls in his work at the Department's national laboratories, production facilities, and power administrations and initiated steps to prevent the discharge of sulfur hexafluoride, the world's most potent greenhouse gas.  (One pound of sulfur hexafluoride, an inorganic, colorless and odorless gas, is equivalent to 11 tons of carbon dioxide.)   This discovery had a huge impact and led to halting the release of more than one million tons of the world's most potent greenhouse gas from Energy Department facilities, the equivalent of taking over 200,000 cars off the nation's roads every year.  Dr. Silverman was named a finalist for the 2013 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America (SAMMIE) Medal.  He received a Secretary of Energy Achievement Award in 2011 for his greenhouse gas emissions reduction efforts.  Dr. Silverman joined DOE in 2000 after completing his MS and Ph.D. in History and Policy at Carnegie Mellon University.   Joshua Silverman received a BA from Rutgers University in History and Philosophy. 

 

Elenor Hodges 

(Gen X Generation)

 

Elenor Hodges serves as the Executive Director of the Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment (ACE), a community nonprofit organization providing practical solutions to a sustainable lifestyle.  She has been instrumental in numerous clean energy and sustainability initiatives including the Arlington Energy Masters program which trains volunteers in techniques to perform energy and water efficiency improvements in affordable housing apartments. The Arlington Energy Masters program was a winner of the Washingtonian magazine's Green Giant award which recognizes "those who protect our environment and who teach others the importance of eco-friendly living." ACE is also sponsoring solar workshops to help to guide and support homeowners who may be interested in joining a solar coop. In 2005, Ms. Hodges led an effort resulting in Arlington County being designated as one of the first counties to become a Community Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. ACE was selected "one of the best small charities in the Greater Washington region" in the 2011-2012 DC Catalogue for Philanthropy. Ms. Hodges earned a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia and a Masters of Education from George Mason University.